Living in the town of dreams & state of wishes...

theeurbanrover: I hope this letter finds you in good health,...

Fri, 03 May 2013 22:43:18 -0400

I hope this letter finds you in good health, in good disposition, and enveloped with the spirit of goodness. I must confess that it had never occurred to me before to write you, and I find myself overwhelmed and moved to have this opportunity.

Although circumstances have compelled me to reach out to you, I am glad to have this occasion to try and cross the boundaries that would otherwise tend to separate us.

I understand that the New Jersey State Police have written to you and asked you to intervene and to help facilitate my extradition back to the United States. I believe that their request is unprecedented in history. Since they have refused to make their letter to you public, although they have not hesitated to publicize their request, I am completely uninformed as to the accusations they are making against me. Why, I wonder, do I warrant such attention? What do I represent that is such a threat?

Please let me take a moment to tell you about myself. My name is Assata Shakur and I was born and raised in the United States. I am a descendant of Africans who were kidnapped and brought to the Americas as slaves. I spent my early childhood in the racist segregated South. I later moved to the northern part of the country, where I realized that Black people were equally victimized by racism and oppression.

I grew up and became a political activist, participating in student struggles, the anti-war movement, and, most of all, in the movement for the liberation of African Americans in the United States. I later joined the Black Panther Party, an organization that was targeted by the COINTELPRO program, a program that was set up by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to eliminate all political opposition to the U.S. government’s policies, to destroy the Black Liberation Movement in the United States, to discredit activists and to eliminate potential leaders.

Under the COINTELPRO program, many political activists were harassed, imprisoned, murdered or otherwise neutralized. As a result of being targeted by COINTELPRO, I, like many other young people, was faced with the threat of prison, underground, exile or death. The FBI, with the help of local police agencies, systematically fed false accusations and fake news articles to the press accusing me and other activists of crimes we did not commit. Although in my case the charges were eventually dropped or I was eventually acquitted, the national and local police agencies created a situation where, based on their false accusations against me, any police officer could shoot me on sight. It was not until the Freedom of Information Act was passed in the mid-’70s that we began to see the scope of the United States government’s persecution of political activists.

At this point, I think that it is important to make one thing very clear. I have advocated and I still advocate revolutionary changes in the structure and in the principles that govern the United States. I advocate self-determination for my people and for all oppressed inside the United States. I advocate an end to capitalist exploitation, the abolition of racist policies, the eradication of sexism, and the elimination of political repression. If that is a crime, then I am totally guilty.

To make a long story short, I was captured in New Jersey in 1973, after being shot with both arms held in the air, and then shot again from the back. I was left on the ground to die and when I did not, I was taken to a local hospital where I was threatened, beaten and tortured. In 1977 I was convicted in a trial that can only be described as a legal lynching.

In 1979 I was able to escape with the aid of some of my fellow comrades. I saw this as a necessary step, not only because I was innocent of the charges against me, but because I knew that in the racist legal system in the United States I would receive no justice. I was also afraid that I would be murdered in prison. I later arrived in Cuba where I am currently living in exile as a political refugee.

The New Jersey State Police and other law enforcement officials say they want to see me brought to “justice.” But I would like to know what they mean by “justice.” Is torture justice? I was kept in solitary confinement for more than two years, mostly in men’s prisons. Is that justice? My lawyers were threatened with imprisonment and imprisoned. Is that justice? I was tried by an all-white jury, without even the pretext of impartiality, and then sentenced to life in prison plus 33 years. Is that justice?

Let me emphasize that justice for me is not the issue I am addressing here; it is justice for my people that is at stake. When my people receive justice, I am sure that I will receive it, too. I know that Your Holiness will reach your own conclusions, but I feel compelled to present the circumstances surrounding the application of so-called “justice” in New Jersey. I am not the first or the last person to be victimized by the New Jersey system of “justice.” The New Jersey State Police are infamous for their racism and brutality. Many legal actions have been filed against them and just recently, in a class action legal proceeding, the New Jersey State Police were found guilty of having an, quote, “officially sanctioned, de facto policy of targeting minorities for investigation and arrest,” unquote.

Although New Jersey’s population is more than 78 percent white, more than 75 percent of the prison population is made up of Blacks and Latinos. Eighty percent of women in New Jersey prisons are women of color. There are 15 people on death row in the state and seven of them are Black. A 1987 study found that New Jersey prosecutors sought the death penalty in 50 percent of cases involving a Black defendant and a white victim, but only 28 percent of cases involving a Black defendant and a Black victim.

Unfortunately, the situation in New Jersey is not unique, but reflects the racism that permeates the entire country. The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. There are more than 1.7 million people in U.S. prisons. This number does not include the more than 500,000 people in city and county jails, nor does it include the alarming number of children in juvenile institutions. The vast majority of those behind bars are people of color and virtually all of those behind bars are poor. The result of this reality is devastating. One third of Black men between the ages of 20 and 29 are either in prison or under the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system.

Prisons are big business in the United States, and the building, running, and supplying of prisons has become the fastest growing industry in the country. Factories are being moved into the prisons and prisoners are being forced to work for slave wages. This super-exploitation of human beings has meant the institutionalization of a new form of slavery. Those who cannot find work on the streets are forced to work in prison.

Not only are the prisons used as instruments of economic exploitation, they also serve as instruments of political repression. There are more than 100 political prisoners in the United States. They are African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Chicanos, Native Americans, Asians, and progressive white people who oppose the policies of the United States government. Many of those targeted by theCOINTELPRO program have been in prison since the early 1970s.
Although the situation in the prisons is an indication of human rights violations inside the United States, there are other, more deadly indicators.

There are currently 3,365 people now on death row, and more than 50 percent of those awaiting death are people of color. Black people make up only 13 percent of the population, but we make up 41.01 percent of persons who have received the death penalty. The number of state assassinations has increased drastically. In 1997 alone, 71 people were executed.

A special rapporteur appointed by the United Nations organization found serious human rights violations in the United States, especially those related to the death penalty. According to his findings, people who were mentally ill were sentenced to death, people with severe mental and learning disabilities, as well as minors under 18. Serious racial bias was found on the part of judges and prosecutors. Specifically mentioned in the report was the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the only political prisoner on death row, who was sentenced to death because of his political beliefs and because of his work as a journalist, exposing police brutality in the city of Philadelphia.

I believe that some people spell God with one “O” while others spell it with two. What we call God is unimportant, as long as we do God’s work. There are those who want to see God’s wrath fall on the oppressed and not on the oppressors. I believe that the time has ended when slavery, colonialism, and oppression can be carried out in the name of religion. It was in the dungeons of prison that I felt the presence of God up close, and it has been my belief in God, and in the goodness of human beings that has helped me to survive. I am not ashamed of having been in prison, and I am certainly not ashamed of having been a political prisoner. I believe that Jesus was a political prisoner who was executed because he fought against the evils of the Roman Empire, because he fought against the greed of the money changers in the temple, because he fought against the sins and injustices of his time. As a true child of God, Jesus spoke up for the poor, for the meek, for the sick, and the oppressed. The early Christians were thrown into lions’ dens. I will try and follow the example of so many who have stood up in the face of overwhelming oppression.

I am not writing to ask you to intercede on my behalf. I ask nothing for myself. I only ask you to examine the social reality of the United States and to speak out against the human rights violations that are taking place.

On this day, the birthday of Martin Luther King, I am reminded of all those who gave their lives for freedom. Most of the people who live on this planet are still not free. I ask only that you continue to work and pray to end oppression and political repression. It is my heartfelt belief that all the people on this earth deserve justice: social justice, political justice, and economic justice. I believe it is the only way we will ever achieve peace and prosperity on this earth. I hope that you enjoy your visit to Cuba. This is not a country that is rich in material wealth, but it is a country that is rich in human wealth, spiritual wealth and moral wealth.

Respectfully yours,
Assata Shakur
Havana, Cuba

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Fri, 03 May 2013 22:22:00 -0400

someone doesn't reply

Fri, 03 May 2013 22:21:17 -0400

someone doesn't reply
paranoia : you're annoying them, they hate you, stop talking to them you obsessive bitch.

Audio

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 02:39:48 -0400

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Thu, 11 Apr 2013 02:35:18 -0400

Want

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 02:08:23 -0400

Want

blacketiquette: Haha! Nita!

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 02:05:45 -0400

blacketiquette:

Haha! Nita!

Photo

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 02:01:12 -0400

Hello, my love! Wanted to let you know I just dropped off your package at the post office and I wanted to apologize in advance for the tape fest! That package is a tape party! You're probably going to just have to, uh, cut right through it, haha. <3 <3 - Kolya

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:35:18 -0400

Oh, I’m beyond excited! I can’t wait! And no need for you to ever apologize! I look forward to your packages sooo much! I’m like a gitty school girl (imagine a less slutty Brittany Spears in a Catholic school girl outfit, circa ‘Hit me baby one more time’. Side note: if you replace me with my that song takes on a whole new meaning lol). I love your face! xoxo

Hey dear its Mindi, your penpal. I havent forgotten about you, I have been extremely sick, and I just got a new job, I promise your letter will be in the mail by Monday!

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:42:51 -0400

Awe love bug! I’m so sorry you have been so sick. Thank you for letting me know tho, I was starting to wonder if you were divorcing me lol. Glad that isn’t the case. I am looking forward to ypur letter sweets!

Swap Bot!!!

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:33:56 -0400

Hey go sign up for my swap titled ‘Featuring Your Hero’s And Mine’. Please sign up, its for my grandmothers 92nd birthday!!! I appreciate all of you so much!

Outgoing Mail to Miss Mariah in OR!

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 02:08:02 -0500

Outgoing Mail to Miss Mariah in OR!

postscriptart: Post Script Art Newsletters on their way...

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 23:35:52 -0500

postscriptart:

Post Script Art Newsletters on their way out!

Request yours here!

Pen Pals

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 20:45:39 -0500

Incoming mail today:
Mariah from OR

Outgoing mail Monday:
Stacy in Canada
Mariah from OR

I need to apologize to Stacy for not sending your letter out Friday. However, my good friend died Friday morning in a car accident (Google: Sara Harrison Franklin County WDBJ7 or WSLS). So my friends, I’ve fallen behind trying to organize a memorial for her and everything, but I promise letters will be going out Monday! I love you all!

Swap-bot is the best....

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 01:35:37 -0500

Do you know about Swap-bot?
Do you enjoy receiving things in the mail?
How about sending awesome gifts to people in the mail?

Here’s what you do:
Go to Swap-bot.com and sign up!
Once registered I suggest checking out their blog and dash to get a better idea of what it is.
Once you fully understand, go to ‘find swaps’. Then browse thru the awesome swaps they have posted or start your own!

Items that are often swapped: Smashbooks, Scrapbooks, smash/scrapbooking items, ephemera, stamps, beauty products (brand new: perfume, lip gloss, blush, eye shadow, lip stick, shampoo, body wash, etc), news paper articles, mail art, altered art, altered altoid tins, international items like candy, stamps, currency, photos, post cards, etc. It’s also a great place to make pen pals!

I think everyone should check it out! Happy swapping!

SIGNAL BOOST PLEASE!!!

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Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:46:52 -0500

butyouarealliwant: joeyisweet: Gateway of the Mind In 1983, a...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:43:45 -0500

butyouarealliwant:

joeyisweet:

Gateway of the Mind

In 1983, a team of deeply pious scientists conducted a radical experiment in an undisclosed facility. The scientists had theorized that a human without access to any senses or ways to perceive stimuli would be able to perceive the presence of God. They believed that the five senses clouded our awareness of eternity, and without them, a human could actually establish contact with God by thought. An elderly man who claimed to have “nothing left to live for” was the only test subject to volunteer. To purge him of all his senses, the scientists performed a complex operation in which every sensory nerve connection to the brain was surgically severed. Although the test subject retained full muscular function, he could not see, hear, taste, smell, or feel. With no possible way to communicate with or even sense the outside world, he was alone with his thoughts.

Scientists monitored him as he spoke aloud about his state of mind in jumbled, slurred sentences that he couldn’t even hear. After four days, the man claimed to be hearing hushed, unintelligible voices in his head. Assuming it was an onset of psychosis, the scientists paid little attention to the man’s concerns.

Two days later, the man cried that he could hear his dead wife speaking with him, and even more, he could communicate back. The scientists were intrigued, but were not convinced until the subject started naming dead relatives of the scientists. He repeated personal information to the scientists that only their dead spouses and parents would have known. At this point, a sizable portion of scientists left the study.

After a week of conversing with the deceased through his thoughts, the subject became distressed, saying the voices were overwhelming. In every waking moment, his consciousness was bombarded by hundreds of voices that refused to leave him alone. He frequently threw himself against the wall, trying to elicit a pain response. He begged the scientists for sedatives, so he could escape the voices by sleeping. This tactic worked for three days, until he started having severe night terrors. The subject repeatedly said that he could see and hear the deceased in his dreams.

Only a day later, the subject began to scream and claw at his non-functional eyes, hoping to sense something in the physical world. The hysterical subject now said the voices of the dead were deafening and hostile, speaking of hell and the end of the world. At one point, he yelled “No heaven, no forgiveness” for five hours straight. He continually begged to be killed, but the scientists were convinced that he was close to establishing contact with God.

After another day, the subject could no longer form coherent sentences. Seemingly mad, he started to bite off chunks of flesh from his arm. The scientists rushed into the test chamber and restrained him to a table so he could not kill himself. After a few hours of being tied down, the subject halted his struggling and screaming. He stared blankly at the ceiling as teardrops silently streaked across his face. For two weeks, the subject had to be manually rehydrated due to the constant crying. Eventually, he turned his head and, despite his blindness, made focused eye contact with a scientist for the first time in the study. He whispered “I have spoken with God, and he has abandoned us” and his vital signs stopped. There was no apparent cause of death.

Could read this a million times over

Am I the only one who is tramatized by this? The only one who thinks they tortured this man to death. Medical mal-practice anyone? Fuck, I don’t care what papers he signed, let that man be my family and those ‘scientist’s’ would never work again. I might have nightmares, I can handle some shit, but not that shit….wow

Attn: Dudes

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:35:47 -0500

okcupidvillains:

versatilequeen:

Call out your bros.

I have literally never seen a guy tell another guy that he is being sexist, misogynist, or slut-shamey.

Not even once.

Call out your bros.

Wanna be a male feminist? This is the only way, The. Only. Way.

my-apollo-bars: in case any of you wanted to know how gay sex...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:32:57 -0500

my-apollo-bars:

in case any of you wanted to know how gay sex works

ro-ro-l-money: Ok so since you lovely people are still...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:31:51 -0500

ro-ro-l-money:

Ok so since you lovely people are still following me for some strange reason I decided to do another giveaway, but this time it isn’t Homestuck stuff because I’m already doing the free plushies and pillows for that so yeah.

Ok this is until March 1st

The winner gets either a wreck this journal or a smash book and they also get to pick two other things from either Kawaii Cupboard or Tofu Cute.

The runner up gets to pick some things from Kawaii Cupboard + Tofu Cute.

It can be a plushie, some pocky, some stationery or anything you see on there that you would like.

Rules:

Likes and Reblogs count

You don’t have to be following me

You do have to be comfortable with letting me know your address

That’s it really :D